ROACH-FISHING AS A FINE ART, 



WITH A FEW WORDS ON THE RUDD. 



To describe roach-fishing as a ' Fine Art ' may, in the opinion 

 of some sportsmen, be deemed an abuse of terms. I can, in 

 fancy, see .the smile — kindly may-be, yet sardonic — ^which flits 

 across the countenance of many a reader as he scans the head- 

 ing of this chapter. He puts the book down for a moment :; 

 knocks the ash off his cijar j leans back in his chair, and runs 

 his eye along the wall, upon which, in the pleasant sanctum of 

 the angler, hang his salmon and trout rods. ' Roach-fishing 

 a fine art is it ? ' he mentally enquires. ' Fly-fishing I know, 

 spinning I understand. They are sciences, fine arts if you like, 

 but roach-fishing — no.' My good sir, .pause awhile. Be reason- 

 able. Lay yourself open to conviction. Allow yourself to be 

 cross-questioned, and admit once for all that your credulity is 

 the consequence of what very blunt persons — say Dr. Johnson 

 r— would call sheer ignorance, but which I will merely specify 

 as defective knowledge upon the subject. Believe me that 

 roach-fishing can be elevated, and is often elevated, into a very 

 fine art indeed,' as I will endeavour to explain before I lay .down 

 my stylograph. At the same time, to soothe your troubled 

 soul, I have no objection in the world to admit that there has 

 been an enormous amount of nonsense written about the gamfe 

 qualities, of the roach, the superlative character of the sport, 

 and the consummate skill required to catch the fish. It will be 

 sufficient for my purpose to remark, as an ending to this intro- 

 ductory paragraph, that for many reasons, roach-fishing may be 

 fairly included in a catalogue of British sports, and must he 



